


A Heroine's Journey — Tauriel

by beng



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Character Development, Character Study, Coping, Creative Writing Theory, Desolation of Smaug, Essays, Fear of Death, Gen, Heroine's Journey, Leaving Home, Loss, Loss of Control, Loss of Trust, Meta, Nonfiction, Personal Growth, Self-Discovery, individual vs the system, mortal vs immortal, to fight for vs to die for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-02-18 10:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2345306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beng/pseuds/beng
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An analysis of Tauriel's storyline and how it follows the Heroine's Journey template.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I admit I haven't read the original book, "The Heroine's Journey" by Maureen Murdock (1990), but some reviews characterize it as a book on feminism/psychology rather than narrative structure, so probably it's not an unforgivable sin against essay writing. Instead I based this on various blog entries, charts and other pieces of the internet.

First of all, what is Heroine's Journey?

In short, it is a response to Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" (1949), which compares, crystalizes and explains a common narrative structure (so-called monomyth) found in myths from around the world. The Heroine's Journey argues that Campbell's male hero is not the only narrative theme found in mythology and that it neglects the role of women, and the differences of a woman's journey.

The main point is that the Hero's Journey is outward - he goes on an adventure, to slay the beast or retake Erebor - and it goes in a circle, because in the end he gets the prize, the gold, the princess, and that's it. He may decide to share the award with his people, but psychologically, he is largely where he was before.

A Heroine's Journey is turned inward. Yeah, she goes away and does stuff, but the change comes from within, from her own inner strength and endurance, not external help like Excalibur or Gandalf. And she doesn't return to the starting point either, instead, her journey continues in a spiral. She returns to share her insights and create something new, maybe a family or a new NGO initiative, or a charity fund or something. She doesn't really get a prince, et voila, happy ending. She keeps going, because that "happy ending" is really just the beginning of something new.

So how does this apply to our redheaded Captain of the Guard? Look at the wonderful chart [here](http://head-heart-health.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/heroines-journey.jpg) and then let me outline the stages of the Tauriel's Journey that we have seen this far.

 

**1\. Illusion of the Perfect World**

Elven society has always valued beauty and harmony, and it shines even in Mirkwood, whose inhabitants Gandalf characterizes as "less wise and more dangerous". It is still an ageless isle of civilization, holding out against the passing of the time and the darkening of the world. It's still quite an okay place to be.

Tauriel is young, smart and deadly. Despite her age, she has been given the position of the Captain of the Guard, and I suppose she's very proud of it. The Elvenking likes her, the crown prince is her friend, and she's allowed to follow her desired path of being a warrior/fighter. Traditionally it is a male role even in the elven society, but there's gender equality, so if you want to be a fighter, you have every chance to be one.

However, there are cracks in that perfect green bubble, and Tauriel is not oblivious to them. She just doesn't want to do anything about them, because it's not _that_ bad, and you have to live somewhere and make a living, even if you're an elf. I think she might also not _know_ what to do, because until now all her experiences have been based on what's inside that bubble - the elven history, philosophy and values. She hasn't had the chance or urge to look outside of that.

But the cracks are growing and annoying her. Thranduil wouldn't let her go on an offensive strike against the spiders, and she must comply, because he's her King. He also doesn't look kindly on his son's potential romantic interest in a woodland elf, and regardless of whether Tauriel returns the prince's "fondness", it's probably a crappy feeling to be told that yeah, you're a great Captain, but stay away from my son, because he's a prince and you're a... well, you fight well.

Mind also the controversy of red hair - it's a rare colour. It probably reminds everyone of Feanor and his sons, and that's one bunch of elves that left quite a bloody trail in history... So I'm not sure she's considered very pretty by her people.

Another thing that I notice is that she's very driven, serious, no-nonsense kind of woman. She values her position, and she knows what effort it took her to get there, and she's not gonna fuck up. So she's nurturing her warrior's side, valuing it above her other skills and talents, but quietly dreaming about stars even as she does her rounds in the dungeons as other elves celebrate.

Because what happens when somebody hears her talking about gentle and beautiful things, _feminine things_ , rather than blood, gore and death to filthy orcs and spiders? Legolas is _confused_. Arguably, he's jealous, but that doesn't cancel the confusion. And that same confusion could be seen earlier, when he asked why the dwarf was staring at her. 

Hell, because the dwarf's  _messing_ with her. He has seen her as an awesome fighter, but he also sees her for a _girl_ , which is something she has stamped down and buried somewhere beneath layers of duty and loyalty.

So maybe her world is not so perfect after all, if an outsider, a dwarf she met a day ago, recognizes the hidden depths of her being while a dear friend who has known her for centuries, gets _confused_.

 

**2\. Betrayal**

This is where the cracks become obvious, and the existing strategies don't work anymore.

In our case, I'd say it's Thranduil's interrogation of the orc. Tauriel was already forced to interrupt chasing the orcs, to bring one back to Thranduil as hostage (complying with her prince's order), and then she hears Thranduil promising to save the wretched thing's life, and again she is forced to comply, to step back and leave the room. The crowning moment must be when Thranduil casually notes:"I do not care for one dead dwarf."

This is the point where her loyalty to her King reaches a breaking point, as it has come at odds with her understanding of what's right, with her duty - to protect - and her inner self, the _wish_ to save the one person who saw her for more than she was, who spoke to that part of her and showed her it's something interesting and valuable too.

She can't solve this problem from within the elven system. Her methods don't work anymore, her loyalty to the King has accomplished nothing. Coming across the dwarves, talking with Kili, she has been faced with the reality that Mirkwood is not the whole world, that there are other nations, other cultures, and they're no primates either. The answer to Life, Universe and Everything might not lie in the elven society alone. There is an _outside_ that is worth their interest and help, and Thranduil doesn't care for it. Her loyalty will not solve this problem, and this realization makes her look for an alternative ways of dealing with the problem. 

 

**3\. Preparing for the Journey**

Regardless of the eye-opener in the form of Thranduil's callousness (which could actually be just the straw that breaks the oliphant's back), Tauriel has not undergone any real change yet. She is not confronting Thranduil about his politics. Instead she sees that there's a pretty familiar problem (orcs) that needs to be dealt with urgently, and what better way to deal with orcs than killing them? So she grabs her trusty daggers and her bow, and runs away to do just that. She probably doesn't even see this as a turning point. She probably just thinks she'll quickly deal with the orcs, save the dark-haired archer and come back home, and then see what she can do about those cracks in the bubble.

Another "tool" that sort of belongs to her old strategies is Legolas. She knows he's going to follow her, and she counts on it. One might argue that he's actually a supporter, but I think he's too prejudiced against dwarves to really be able to support Tauriel at this point. Or ever. So he's more of a side-kick type of supporter, another blade to help her achieve her goal.

Then comes the interesting part.

 

**4\. Descent**

This part of the Journey reflects the Sumerian myth of Inanna's descent into the underworld. She would bring all her "weapons" with her, but, passing through each gate, she is forced to discard them one by one, until she remains bare-handed in face of her adversary.

Tauriel and Legolas leave Mirkwood. They reach Laketown just in time for the orc attack, and their weapons serve them well, even if they have to fight in unusually close quarters. Nevertheless, they manage to kill the orcs, they save the day and should continue their hunt, which is sort of why they set out in the first place, right? Except, the whole idea was to _save Kili_ , not abstractly kill orcs just because orcs are bad and shouldn't be trespassing in Mirkwood.

Legolas continues on his pre-set path, and abandons Tauriel.

And all her fighting skills and weapons are completely useless in the face of the fact that Kili's dying from poison and no amount of her bravery, battle mastery and other male attributes that have faithfully served her before are going to save him now.

She is left bare-handed, and she must discard everything that she thought is gonna help her. She is stripped of her illusion of control, and in a way she is left simply _as she is_. Bofur shows up with the kingsfoil, and, in absence of all her self-erected walls of masculine strategies, she knows what she must do. She reaches into herself and finds the healing, gentle, feminine aspect. And she heals the cheeky dwarf.

 

**5\. Eye of the Storm**

This is a moment of realization for Tauriel that — it's okay to be here. She's left her home, but she hasn't been eaten by any monsters, the dwarves that she kept prisoners are not going to gang up on her. The outside world might not be such a scary place after all. She can deal with it. She can find common points with other races, they can understand each other. With Legolas missing, she is alone, but she is accepted, she is safe. She can succeed on her own, not just as part of the Mirkwood Guard or backed up by Legolas. The part of herself that she has been suppressing is not only interesting to someone like Kili, it is downright _useful_. She has received a confirmation that she's smart and strong, and not as helpless without her traditional weapons as she might think. She has saved a life, and the dwarves are grateful. She has succeeded in her task. 

Lulled by the success, they start picking up the rubble, Tauriel wraps up Kili's injury, and it's such a beautiful moment. She smiles, and there's a softness in her eyes. For once she's letting herself _be_ , no duty, no deadliness, no walls.

I'm not saying that Tauriel should ditch her whole career and become a healer or a tapestry weaver, but she's clearly suppressing one side of her, and that's not healthy. Kili brings it out in her, reminding that she could be something else too, if she wished. She's a person - not a tool, not a weapon, not a killing machine.

And then all hell breaks loose.

 

* * *

 

This is where we're left off on Tauriel's Journey. The rest is pure speculation, but I have some ideas, left here as of September 2014.

For actual, updated analysis skip this and go to Chapter 2.

 

**6\. Death**

"I am fire. I am death."

Enter Smaug. We haven't seen the third movie yet, but it's safe to assume there's lots of death, carnage and fire, and a foe that Tauriel can't possibly defeat - not with her old weapons, and not with her new ones.

She has left the Woodland Realm against her King's orders, she has dragged Legolas into danger, she has failed to kill the orcs (the ones Legolas ran after), and she has failed to save Kili. All her sacrifices have been for naught, and she has lost everything. There is no way she can win this fight. But judging from the fact that we see everyone live and kicking in the BOFA trailer, I assume that somehow she does.

The solution would be to embrace her new-found group of non-elves, and make saving themselves a team effort. She has no authority in Laketown, she has only her daggers and smarts and caring heart. And by accepting help, by doing this _together_ , Tauriel is not reverted completely back to her old hack'n'slash tactics. She is strengthened in her understanding of the value of other races and cultures, of the value of herself as a person, not just a living weapon.

 

**7\. Support**

I would like to think that the support she finds in this stage of the journey comes from Kili, the other dwarves and Bard's children. Kili still looks at her like _that_ , and there's Bard's children who are a family, and Fili who stayed behind with his brother. There is love here, and Tauriel, not having any family of her own, would probably be touched and influenced by that.

Another version, judging from the trailer, is that she finds some support from Legolas. They do seem to be talking and travelling together, going somewhere on their own, not part as Thranduil's host. Maybe scouting. Maybe discussing how his father's Mirkwood policy is wrong, and dwarves are people too. But somehow Legolas doesn't seem to me as a supportive element, at least, not in this kind of a story. He is logical, and quite ok with the status quo in Mirkwood. As shown before, he's maybe in love with Tauriel, but I don't think he understands her like Kili. I think he only sees that one side of her, and he's not looking any deeper than that. So what kind of support can he provide for a girl's character development?

 

**8\. Rebirth**

I suppose, somewhere along the way Tauriel has embraced her inner self, her feminine side and at least _the idea_ that she might be in love with a dwarf. She has expanded the view of her world, and she sees the world for what it is, wide and varied. She knows there's strength in what others might perceive as weakness, and she won't be looking only to the elven customs and beliefs to find the answers to her questions. She is more. She has grown wiser, kinder, she has risen above the Captain of the Guard that she was, and she maybe perceives herself as whole, letting herself dream of a softer world, of dark brown eyes and walks in starlight.

She knows she is strong on her own, without Legolas, without her Guard, without her King.

I would like to think that this is the state of her mind and heart with which Tauriel enters BOFA. She has survived Smaug, who everyone considered the Big Bad, and she's not afraid to go into the fright again. I think she might try to confront Thranduil about his politics, before the orcs come and the battle begins. Maybe she even tries to explain this to Legolas, opening his eyes and changing him as well. (But remembering his opinions on Gimli in LotR, I don't think she succeeds in dealing with that particular prejudice of his.)

But when the battles begins, she stands for her wood _and_ for the rest of the world, and she fights for the whole region and for all the races living there, and it doesn't matter whether Thranduil has exiled her or not. She doesn't need his permission to do the right thing anymore.

 

**9\. Return to the Perfect World**

This just kills me.

Because Kili, the one person in Middle Earth who has managed to get beneath the tough Captain's skin, dies in the battle, unless PJ changes that, but I don't think he will. And I have no idea where that leaves Tauriel. She has outgrown the limits of her previous position, so how can she return to Mirkwood with all these new, exciting revelations in her head? How can she revert to being nothing else than a weapon that the Elvenking likes to keep near but doesn't really consider a person? If she ends up in love with Kili, how is she going to get over his death?

Kili's death draws a thick black line of NOPE right across her journey. There is no love, no family, no new adventure. There is no better world to look out for. Her glass bubble of the perfect world is broken, and there's no returning there. She has allowed her femininity to shine through, but she has nowhere to apply it. Probably she should have taken a bigger sword to the battle instead.

So there's no real conclusion to her journey. There is no happily ever after, nothing that she could create with her newfound integrity and relevations. Yeah, she might be wiser for it, she might change her profession, or maybe Thranduil offers her another position, or allows her to finally go after those spiders (probably already taken care of by the White Council), but it sort of...leaves her hanging. A sad, lonely soul who dared love a dwarf once.

Based on this, I have a feeling she's going to die too. Probably she'll do something heroic enough to earn everybody's respect, maybe the dwarves will eventually put up a pretty plaque in her memory. Maybe her heroism will serve in healing the rift between the elves and the dwarves, but what use it is to Tauriel, if she's dead?

And if she's not dead, then I'm very, very interested in how PJ wraps up her story.

 

Pieces of internet used in writing:

[1] http://flutiebear.tumblr.com/post/22840957119/taking-the-heroines-journey-how-this-often-overlooked

[2] http://universaldancer.com/The_Heroines_Journey.html

[3] http://askmiddlearth.tumblr.com/tagged/tauriel


	2. The Battle of the Five Armies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The release of the "Battle of the Five Armies" in December 2014 allows us to continue following Tauriel's journey and to correct some of the assumptions/expectations made previously.  
> 

 

The Heroine's Journey structure allows for several repetitions of the journey stages, especially the loss of old weapons and coping strategies at the descent phase, to ensure the required advancement and character development. I think that is what happens with Tauriel. 

 

**4\. Descent II**

We left Tauriel in the end of _The Desolation of Smaug_ as she had just learned a few things about herself, mainly that she can be something more than a finely-tuned killing machine within the Mirkwood hierarchy. She has individual worth as a person, and there is someone who even finds it attractive.

And then she hears Smaug's roar. 

All satisfaction at having succeeded in her task goes up in smoke. If Kili, and the others are killed, her defiance of her King, and Legolas, will have meant nothing. 

On a reflex, her old mask goes up, she locks her emotions away and compartmentalizes. Her connection with Kili is broken. She realizes that, once again, her fighter tactics are not going to help. She can't defeat Smaug — he's too large, too deadly and out of her league. Her weapon skills would be completely useless against him, as would her freshly-asserted healing powers and compassion. Even Legolas has abandoned her, and she's left with three children, her still weak ex-patient, and three other dwarves that she barely knows.

She never planned for this. The whole situation is completely out of her control. The only thing she _can_ do is try and get away from Laketown as quickly as possible.

She's an agile elf, she could probably do it as easily as Legolas did if she left immediately. The land bridge was still intact.* But Tauriel got this far, acting on her compassion, and her sense of rightness. She can't just ditch them now to save herself. Against her rational judgement, she stays, as part of the group. To an extent, she even manages to retain some of that softness she had just shown to Kili. 

But she's not in control. She sits at the front of the boat, without any means to change its course or avoid the collision with the Master's boat. Her home is trees and mossy ground, not lakes. Physically she's not as experienced and badass as Legolas, who seems to be in tune with all sorts of environments, not to mention his anti-gravity stunts. My guess is that being unable to escape under the protective eaves of the forest adds yet another dimension of helplessness for Tauriel. Even Bain is more at ease with the rickety wharfs and random boats, and as he leaves despite everyone's protests, all Tauriel can do is watch helplessly and bid his sisters to accept the loss as the town burns all around her. 

She appears cool and rational, but I think it's because she's terrified to the bones. They are all going to die, a pointless, violent death — even Tauriel, the skilled, immortal elf fighter, and it was totally her own choices that landed her in this situation.

 

_* I do realize that the possibility of an individual escape is a major assumption on my part, but it would fit with Tauriel's gradual priority shift as her journey continues._

 

 

**5\. Eye of the Storm II**

Against all odds, they survive — thanks to Bard not giving up until he has tried the shadiest improvization of a windlance in the history of Middle-earth.

Tauriel doesn't seem to be really _there_  emotionally as she helps Sigrid and Tilda look for their father. Spiders may have been coming to Mirkwood wave after wave, but she hadn't been deterred, she had been all up and ready to kick their asses as she spoke with Thranduil.  Smaug's attack, on the other hand, might be Tauriel's first actual brush with death and it takes her some time to come to terms with that. 

She probably didn't see Bard in action, but throughout the movie there is this contrast between elves and the mortal races. Thorin, for example, tries to be rational and protect everyone — up until the moment it seems they're all gonna die anyway, so why not go out with a bang (engaging Azog on the slopes of the Misty Mountains, the whole deal with Smaug, the berserk way he joins the final battle). He's fearless to a fault, almost careless with his life. Bard is the same when it comes to saving his city and his family. He will succeed, or die trying, there is no other way, and he might be scared but he jumps into the fray anyway.

It's the immortal elves who are careful with their lives. It's Thranduil who wishes to avoid the massacre and wait it out in his forest. It's Legolas who confidently revels in his fighting skills, genuinely surprised when Bolg actually injurs him slightly. Even Galadriel enters Dol Guldur confident in her victory, and visibly afraid when it looks like the tables have turned on her and Gandalf.

Throughout the movie, this fear of death is shown as the downfall of both Thorin, when he succumbs to the dragon sickness, intending to save the gold at the cost of the lives of his people, and Thranduil, considering how a large part of Thorin's enmity towards the elves is due to Thranduil turning his back on the dwarves when Smaug attacked, choosing rational survival above his allegiance to the dwarves. Overcoming this fear is part of the redemption story for both of them.

Realizing she truly may have died for her choice to set out on her own, for her choice to stay with the group, must come as an eye-opener for Tauriel. 

I think this is when she realizes that some things are worth not only fighting for, but also dying for — something that she probably hadn't given much thought before. After surviving Smaug, she is strengthened in realizing that dying for the right cause is no longer an abstract idea for her. She knows she has it in her, and she's not afraid to repeat it if needed. It's a powerful realization, and she needs a moment on the shore, alone, to let it sink in.

Should she go back to Mirkwood and try and reason with Thranduil once more, force him to offer his help? Should she stay with the Laketowners, explore what good she can do outside the forest, what protection provide?

She's probably pondering these two options, as Kili comes up to her and offers another, the craziest thing: "Come with me."

A dwarf? In love with her? On a reflex, Tauriel refuses. Perhaps it really is too much for her at the moment. She already has a lot to think about.

But yet again he sees right through her, calling her out on her lie, and it's intriguing. She might be interested, at least, to find out more... Like, is this even possible? Does he mean it? Not in her wildest dreams has she imagined such a thing, and for a moment she's paralyzed by the unexpected option.

She is alone, undecided. Free of all constraints that defined her. And, considering the look in Kili's eyes, and the way he witnesses her for who she holistically is, that option definitely feels worth discussing a bit more.

 

**6\. Death. All is lost.**

I'd argue that this is where Tauriel's story turns down its hopeless path. It's not one event, but a succession of small deaths as Tauriel gradually loses all she had achieved this far.

Legolas shows up. She goes rigid, her mask in place. She addresses him as her prince, and the moment between her and Kili seems lost.

Elves are ancient creatures, and their habits die hard. Maybe Tauriel needed just five more minutes to talk with Kili, to strenghten this idea in her head that this _might_ be possible, that she _might_ have something to look forward to if she decided not to return to her old role in Mirkwood. That someone understands her, loves her, and that she would have his unwavering, stubborn support if she decided to take him up on his offer. Just five more minutes to strengthen the notion that _she has options outside of Mirkwood,_ and it's fully her choice.

Five minutes that they never get, because Legolas is suddenly there, and he is her prince, who risked his life following her from Mirkwood, who miraculously survived the dragon's attack, and whom she has known probably for centuries. He reminds her of her duty, that she is needed. And she obeys, discarding her own feelings once more. The opportunity to be simply _wanted_ , not needed.

Note that Kili does the exact opposite. He follows his heart, ready to face whatever consequences there may be. He gives no reaction to his brother calling him, reminding him of _his_ duty. He knows he can deal with all that later. And even when Tauriel decides to follow Legolas, he sees her reluctance and leaves her his runestone, showing that this discussion is not over yet. 

Kili is in good touch with his feelings, and he's ready to step out of his system to embrace an unknown future with her, but Tauriel is unable to do the same.

With Legolas' no-nonsense journey plans, her choice and freedom slip like sand through her fingers. It is another blow to find out she has been banished from Mirkwood. Kili has left, and she's not even sure if it was a real option to go with him. She can either stay with the Laketowners, or follow Legolas who has just confessed his feelings and taken her side against his father. A brave action that leaves her feeling obliged and indebted to him.

And then it basically goes downhill as she becomes a pointless accessory on Legolas' ride to the north, a passive receiver of his superior history knowledge, orc knowledge, and stories about his mother. Legolas may think he's acting noble and doing the right thing by taking Tauriel's side (and he certainly seems to feel good about it), but we see him as the one making all decisions, overriding her agency and overwhelming her. I think it's quite clear that even with all his good intentions Legolas doesn't see Tauriel quite as an equal.

I think the whole ride with Legolas is a slow death for Tauriel as she's thrown back to her old role, stuck in a hierarchy and valued as nothing but a fighter. She had a short taste of success and then she failed, and now she's back to square one, the obedient Captain of the Guard.

 

**7\. Support**

It kills me how alone Tauriel is. She has such a rich and interesting inner world, and basically nobody's interested except Kili. Legolas thinks that he acts like a friend, but he always seems to have his own agenda. His help is only external, and even then he abandons Tauriel twice throughout the movie, despite having stated that he's coming with her. But no, fighting orcs is more interesting, and surely she can manage on her own, she's a good fighter. Kili is the only person who looks deeper, catalyzing the change in her.

Subdued and seemingly having accepted her lot, Tauriel returns to Dale, looking disoriented and unsure when Legolas leaves her to talk with Gandalf.

"Thorin is up there. And Fili and Kili, they're all up there!" worries Bilbo, and _one_ mention of the dwarf's name is all it takes to wake Tauriel from her defeated compliance.

 

**8\. Rebirth / Moment of truth**

She is free again, and she will not stand aside as her King makes a selfish, pragmatic decision again. She's learned her lessons, and she's not afraid of him.

Thranduil's life is not worth more than the dwarves', as her life was not worth more than the Laketowners' as they were fleeing the burning town. She stayed with them out of compassion, out of the love that Kili had recognized in her and brought forward. She is not afraid to die.

Is she in love? She probably has no idea yet. We've seen Tauriel fail multiple times when it comes to recognizing her own feelings and what's good for her, versus her feelings for people in general and what's good/just/right for them. It's only when Thranduil puts a name to her feelings for Kili, that the realization dawns. Her whole journey of self-awareness and freedom has brought her to the point where she can actually accept this, surrender to this impossible reality even as Thranduil threatens her life.

She is saved from the King's sword by his son once again, but there is no compliance, no gratitude or obligation keeping Tauriel back anymore. It is her decision to go to the Raven Hill, and this time Legolas merely follows, with the implication that she would have gone anyway — a throwback to her first leaving the forest, when she counted on Legolas joining her. Knowing the odds, leaving for Raven Hill is all the answer she gives — she  _is_ ready to die for Kili. 

On the hill, she lets herself go berserk as she fights her way specifically to him, no more thought to where Legolas has disappeared to, no particular care for the other dwarves either. Just him. She wants him, and she doesn't give a damn about whether she should.

 

 

**9\. Return to the perfect world, seen through new eyes**

Tauriel knew that there was almost no hope in succeeding, and yet she chose to try and do the impossible, with no regard for her life. And Kili did the same for her; mindless rage for his brother's death replaced with a reckless bid to save Tauriel.

The odds are what they are, and Kili dies.

In that last moment as he gazes into her very soul, she realizes just how deep their connection was, and that she has lost it forever. She is left alone once more.

By that point she no longer cares if she lives or dies. Without Kili, she is willing to follow Bolg down the cliff as she pushes him over. Something has broken inside her. 

Surprisingly, in the end it is Thranduil who gives her the support she never received from Legolas as he flees her grief, unable to handle it. Thranduil has lost too. He understands.

By admitting it was real, he offers his forgiveness and acknowledges the love in her, a weak reflection of Kili's insight. I think this admission might be something that allows Tauriel to forgive her King for his stubbornness, helping them come to a new understanding.

However, plead as she might, is not in Thranduil's power to return her to her perfect world, let her pretend that her journey never happened. She will have to find the strength to carry on by herself, or perish.

Either way it seems she's tacitly welcome to return back to Mirkwood, disillusioned and betrayed as she may feel. Perhaps, with Legolas out of the picture, Tauriel and her King can help each other find a way to go on.

 

* * *

To be honest, when I started writing this, I expected the story structure to collapse somewhere around the lake shore. Nevertheless, even if some of the later points are a bit stretched, I feel that overall the dynamic is still there, even if there is no happy ending. Even if a large part of it is inductive reasoning and assumption rather than solid proof from dialogues and acting — _The Battle of the Five Armies_ is not really about Tauriel, and her journey does fall by the wayside.

The most annoying part of all, I think, is that there is no real application to what Tauriel's journey was about. She learned so much. She actually interacted with the outer world, not just idealized it sitting in her forest. She learned that there are things in life more precious than life itself, that she has the courage to die for them if she must, and that she has value as an individual, as Tauriel of white starlight, deep love and compassion. 

And she gets to enjoy none of these changes as she returns to the world she came from. I don't really believe that Thranduil will be that supportive and personal with her for long, and there is no one  who could learn or otherwise benefit from her journey. Everyone else who knew her and Kili's story is either dead or has left. And considering that it took Galadriel's gift of three hairs to Gimli before Legolas finally got off his high horse regarding dwarves, he doesn't appear to have learned anything from Tauriel's experience either.

We get no solid conclusion to Tauriel's story, but most probably she will return to her job as Captain of the Guard. Knowing Thranduil, the short moment on the ledge was all the moral support she is going to get from her King. She challenged him, tearing up his old wounds, making him remember love, and the wife that he lost. He comes looking for Legolas, dreading to find his dead body, and his son leaves him too. No, I don't think Thranduil will let anyone see his vulnerable side again any time soon.

So where does it leave Tauriel? 

She had been ready to die for her love. Whom or what should she live for?

It depends on how her own healing goes. If, in the aftermath of the battle, she miraculously finds herself in some hospital wing, she might take up healing arts once again, and eventually find consolation in her ability to nurture and soothe. Surrounded by people with more caring mindsets, she might also find the emotional support that she needs.

If forced to take up her initial position of Captain of the Guard again, I don't think she can persist for long. We know elves may lose their will to live after traumatic experiences. Thranduil survived the loss of his deeply beloved wife, probably thanks to his son he had to care for. Elrond has carried on thanks to Arwen and his two sons, probably thanks to Galadriel's support as well. Arwen herself only faded after Aragorn had passed and their children had grown, having families of their own.

In her original position, I don't think Tauriel has anyone like that to keep her going, to help her overcome her grief. Judging from how she seems to gravitate toward what others need from her, versus acknowledging what she herself needs and feels, I'm afraid she might try to bury her pain under mindless long working hours, and maybe not even realize her need for support and healing, especially with no one there to keep an eye on her emotional state. 

I think, for Tauriel the journey ends in irreconcilable dissonance with her place in the world, and eventually it just means that she does not have a place in Middle-earth anymore.

To heal, she must leave for Valinor.

Perhaps that will be another journey, with a decidedly more satisfying ending.

 

____________________

Please note that Maureen Murdock's initial description of the Heroine's Journey in "The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness" mentioned in Chapter 1 largely applies to psychological therapy for women.  
Victoria Lynn Schmidt is the author who adapted/detailed this idea in "45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters" for use in creative writing, both for male and female protagonists undertaking an inwards journey.

For anyone interested, here is a list of updated sources as well:

[1] Flutiebear's blog: [Part I](http://flutiebear.tumblr.com/post/22840957119/taking-the-heroines-journey-how-this-often) and [Part II](http://flutiebear.tumblr.com/post/22851630998/taking-the-heroines-journey-how-this-often).

[2] A great summary on [The Heroine Journey Project website](https://heroinejourneys.com/heroine-journey-ii/).

[3] [Word Hunter blog article](https://hunterswritings.com/2015/10/26/the-heroines-journey-narrative-structure/), with lots of links for further reading.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so long. The story is a mess, and it's not easy to coax any sense from it. Let me know what you think.


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